Expressive in its rich performances and spacious compositions, ‘Ascension’ is quite the dazzling Art Pop EP where Sarah Kinsley’s moving arc of understanding one’s self in the process of growing up is overall ephemeral.
Sarah Kinsley gradually sheds into a promising artist through her musical ventures since her first EP in 2020, ‘The Fall’. Each passing EP that she has released thus far has conjured growth within her energetic spirit, with her vocalizations and songwriting parsing through her influences like Lana Del Rey and Mitski enveloping around a much more captivating pop palette full of ornate instrumentation and grandiose melodies. Even on her starting point, Sarah Kinsley immediately fits within the alternative pop scene that she peers out from time to time, one that she then embraces deeper and deeper in every EP allowing her to put her voice and production into flexible tangents as she also reveres emotive writing alongside it.
‘Ascension’ continues to follow suit on her artistic prowess where Sarah Kinsley emboldens her curiosity in her sound, carving ephemeral sonic pages on the 5 tracks that compose the entire EP. The driving groove that leans into a post-punk sounding rhythm opens up ‘Oh No Darling!’ where Sarah Kinsley leads the string swells with her sonorous vocal tone, letting the chorus bubble up with amorphous synth pads that even ends with a grand guitar solo. The following tracks also have similar soaring qualities to them. From ‘Black Horse’ with its bustling progressions leading up to the energetic hook that’s reminiscent of Lorde’s ‘Green Light’ is brimming with bulky percussions and swooning vocal backups, ‘Lovegod’ is transcendent due to the cascading piano lines and grand violin swells that represents the push-and-pull emotions of that track, and ‘Silver Of Time’ with its heavier weight coming from Sarah Kinsley’s lower register single-handedly elevating the heavenly instrument behind her. And even if the title track falls a bit short due to its one short verse, the clamoring piano chords create a graceful mystique that’s easy to like.
The majestic quality of these tracks is also displayed in the writing of the EP. Neatly painting an arc of musing about Kinsley’s inner being amidst the process of growing up that’s also tied into the reflections of romance that yearns and desires just as freely. ‘Black Horse’ is a confident display of Sarah letting her inner desire to be carefree erupt even if deep down she might lose herself along the way, and ‘Lovegod’ is yet another highlight that puts Sarah’s writing dazzle away once more, embracing a sense of yearning theatricality as she speaks to a higher power, wishing to find someone that she could be passionate with to ease her loneliness.
In her steps of ascending to something that boosts Sarah Kinsley’s skillset as a writer; performer; and producer, ‘Ascension’ lets them flutter magnificently. Pulling from dazzling Art Pop flair allows Sarah Kinsley to let her run free as she comfortably finds warmth within ornamental instrumentation that creates an immense waterfall, one where she can confidently ride its flow down to a deeply gratifying EP. Cinematic at its finest in terms of composition, production, and songwriting, Sarah Kinsley astounds on a brighter sense of magnitude, gliding through the passage of time that paves the way for her to unleash her passion with an unabashed expression.
Favorite Tracks: Oh No Darling!’, ‘Black Horse’, ‘Lovegod, ‘Silver Of Time’
Least Favorite Track: ‘Ascension’